Roddick, Sharapova advance at U.S. Open

Friday

Aug 31, 2007 at 12:30 AM

NEW YORK — As a kid, Andy Roddick was hard-pressed to come up with a better birthday treat than going to the U.S. Open with his mom. At 9, he was thrilled to be on the scene while Jimmy Connors made a stirring run to the semifinals.

HOWARD FENDRICH

NEW YORK — As a kid, Andy Roddick was hard-pressed to come up with a better birthday treat than going to the U.S. Open with his mom. At 9, he was thrilled to be on the scene while Jimmy Connors made a stirring run to the semifinals.

"I'd get here for the first match, and I wouldn't leave till it was over. Those are probably my fondest memories, just sneaking into the nosebleed sections," Roddick recalled Thursday. "I actually snuck into the players' lounge one time and stole a cheesecake."

He still comes to Flushing Meadows at birthday time, nowadays as a competitor — and with a certain James Scott Connors tagging along as his coach.

Roddick turned 25 on Thursday and marked the occasion by reaching the U.S. Open's third round, although not before losing the opening set and moving on when his opponent, Jose Acasuso of Argentina, quit after the third because of a left knee injury.

"That's the good thing about Grand Slams: You get in the grind, and whoever doesn't mind the grind wins," Connors said after watching the match through silver wraparound sunglasses. "The way Andy played today, especially in the second and third sets, is always good. As long as he's playing the right kind of tennis, that's all that counts."

The score was 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 when Acasuso decided he couldn't continue.

"I don't think you like winning matches like that," the No. 5-seeded Roddick said. "But at the end of the day, your goal is to get through."

Maria Sharapova sure played the right way Thursday night, overwhelming 90th-ranked Casey Dellacqua of Australia 6-1, 6-0 in a mere 51 minutes.

"I think she'll most definitely go all the way," Dellacqua said.

The second-seeded Sharapova already had won seven of the first eight games when she disagreed with an official's ruling and argued a bit with the chair umpire. The defending champion's dad was even more agitated in the stands, holding an animated conversation with her agent, who shook his head and covered his face with his hand.

"It's only going to get tougher from here," Sharapova said, "so I'm looking forward to the challenge."

One of her second serves showed up at 129 mph, which would tie Venus Williams' Grand Slam record — but the company that oversees the serve-speed system at the U.S. Open called it a glitch.

"It was definitely a mistake, because, one, I've never hit a 129 in my life, let alone a second serve, and, two, it definitely didn't feel like a 129," she said. "So definitely wishful thinking."

No. 6 James Blake was playing French veteran Fabrice Santoro in the night's final match.

In other words: no complaints. Same for Donald Young, the 18-year-old Chicago native who was 0-11 in tour-level matches until last week and never had won a Grand Slam match until this week.

Now he's in the Open's third round, and he didn't have to lift a racket Thursday, because his scheduled opponent, No. 13 Richard Gasquet, withdrew, citing a viral infection. Young saw Gasquet practice and saw him in the locker room, so assumed they'd be playing.

"I feel like that's a short-term thing. I'd probably go out there and give it a go," Roddick said. "My biggest thing with playing matches versus not playing matches is if you're risking long-term — if it's going to affect you longer than just that day or a week or two down the road."

No. 2 Rafael Nadal had to make that sort of decision before playing Wednesday, when he was far from his best while dealing with tendinitis in his left knee. Like Acasuso, he grew up playing more on softer clay courts than the cementlike hard courts of the U.S. Open — and both thought that might have been a factor in their injuries.

The day's loudest shot might very well have come from No. 13 Nicole Vaidisova against Flavia Pennetta. After getting broken while serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, Vaidisova slammed her racket head so forcefully it folded in half. Then she went out and served a shutout in the tiebreaker to win 6-2, 7-6 (0).

Did she feel bad for the racket?

"It deserved it," Vaidisova said.

Roddick got a tad bent out of shape himself. He lost a point after a spectator yelled, "Come in!" He got broken to trail 4-3 when Acasuso returned a 133 mph serve and worked the point until hitting a forehand winner. Roddick was most perturbed at blowing three break points in the next game.

Asked whether he was pleased with his guy's performance, Connors grinned widely — and pointed to that smile.

"What's that say? That says it all right there," Connors said. "He's in the right direction. It's just a matter that he believes it and goes out and does it the right way. That's what he's striving to do every day."

The buzz already was starting around the grounds, meanwhile, for a third-round encounter still 48 hours away: No. 1 Roger Federer against 6-foot-9 American wild-card John Isner.

Roddick provided a scouting report.

"Isner's going to be very tall," he said, "and Roger's going to be very good."